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Free Range Products, an Asset to your Health

Grass fed animals provide a completely different range of products in comparison to factory raised livestock. Although the difference we perceive when we buy them is minimal, there is a huge gap between the two. The healthy diet free range animals are used to and their active lifestyle make them be lean and healthy. The types and quantities of fats we find in such animals have nothing to do with factory meat. It's like we are looking to products coming from different species really!

Also there is a specific type of fat, called Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) which literally turns on the fat burning genes, contributing to weight loss. CLA is also found in unprocessed raw milk, which is milk which has not been homogenized or pasteurized. The procedures used in order to make milk safe strip it off of all the valuable nutrients and vitamins, resulting in a product which is not very healthy. It is important to understand that grass fed animals are raised in natural conditions, as opposed to factory raised ones. The introduction of mass production and the advent of these huge unhealthy farms, where animals are restricted to a cage, being fed grains, hormones, antibiotics and meat products, imposed the introduction of procedures such as pasteurization so that the products from these dirty and unhealthy farms are safe for the public. The fact that in this way the nutritional value of the produce is minimized is certainly of lower importance in comparison to the profits being made. Of course this does not happen when the animals eat grass while being raised in the fields. It is necessary to distinguish between what is best for our health versus to what is better for big companies. Grass fed animals exhibit a very healthy combination of nutrients and high quality fats. Obviously, wild game is an excellent option when available and affordable. These animals have been 100% naturally raised, fed and lived, so you can only get high quality protein along with small percentages of healthy fat.

Obviously, this is the case for fish too. Wild fish are considered to be of superior quality in comparison to the farm raised ones. The former exhibit a balanced ratio of omega 3 / omega 6 fats, which is beneficial to human metabolism, in contrast to the latter, which have a greater amount of omega 6 fats. Eating the right fats helps your metabolism and health.  Consuming healthy fats will help you lose weight and lower  the GI of your meal (see next section).Omega 3 fats interact directly with the DNA, turn on the fat burning genes and turn off genes responsible for inflammation and disease.  Fats are also necessary for proper brain function and hormonal balance. Eliminating them from your diet can have detrimental effects and compromise your efforts for weight loss, proper cognitive function and athletic performance. They are absolutely necessary in order for humans to maintain a balanced healthy body, mind and spirit.  The only point to be careful with fats is that they are very calorie dense, they carry double the calories per gram, in comparison to protein and carbs (9 cal per gram for fats versus 4 cal per gram for protein and carbs). That means that, yes, we must eat the right fats, but in small quantities. Only 20-40% of your total caloric intake per day should come from fats.
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Helen Davies MSc is an experienced medical researcher, holding a Master Degree in Human Molecular Genetics. As the founder of Primal Health company, she has been involved in research in the Nutrition area. Her expertise focuses on Nutritional Genomics and Functional Medicine. If you are interested in state of the art Nutritional advice, visit our website --> http://www.Primal-Health.com

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